SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus

Published Mar 5, 2002/Last Updated Oct 29, 2007

SmallMenuPlus

SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus are Pocket PC softwares which integrate task manager and cascading program launcher. You can execute, switch, and close programs by SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus.

Executing SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus will bring up an integrated menu which contains a task list with icons and cascading program menus.

Remarkable features of this software include:

1. Compact, fast and light.
2. Shows task and program icons including Pocket Outlook icons that other task managers do not display.
3. Non stylus operations. Executing, switching, and closing programs can be accomplished when the program is assigned to a hardware button.
4. Cascading program menus.
5. Easy custom program launch menu configuration.
6. Battery status can be displayed on the Navigation bar. (except Pocket PC 2000)
7. Easy battery monitor icon configuration. (except Pocket PC 2000)
8. Selecting "Today" item on the main menu raises "Today" screen. (Plus)
9. Replacing Start Button to raise SmallMenu. (Plus)
10. Easy Start Button image configuration. (Plus)
11. Lists recently executed programs. (Plus)
12. Automatically closes tasks which exceed the limit specified by the user. (Plus)
13. Background tasks can be closed without raising the window on the top. (Plus)
14. "Favorites" can be easily accessed via cascading menus. (Plus)


15. Main menu items are flexibly configurable. You are able to list most accessing program items in the main menu. (Plus)


16. Pocket PC can be turned off via the menu. (Plus)

Easy one-handed task management operation can be achieved with the Action Control of your Pocket PC.

When assigning SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus to a hardware button, for example, to record button, you can push the button to pop up SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus and choose the desired program/task by rocking up/down the action control.

Configuration for the level of mixture

The main menu for version 3.0's has a very flexible menu configuration. You can accept pure program launching menus to pure task management menu from the main menus if they are set at "Locate items in the main menu".

The following are examples that demonstrate the flexibility of main menu configuration.

Just contains program launching items. This looks similar to the menu of ProgramMenu.	Based on a program launcher, a few items for task management are added.	Fifty-fifty mixture of program launcher and task manager.	Based on a task manager, a few items for program launching are added.	Pure task manager look and feel.

Tips for migrating to ver 3.x

The main menu in version 3.0 has a very flexible menu configuration. Users can directly access Today, Programs, Recent Programs, Favorites, Tasks, and Suspend from the main menu when set at "Locate items in the main menu".

One should not JUST set the "Locate items in the main menu" flag for Programs. I recommend the following:

1. Create a subfolder named "Programs" under the menu folder for SmallMenuPlus.
2. Move shortcuts and folders from the menu folder to the new folder "Programs". Do not move frequently accessed shortcuts.
3. Then, check the "Locate items in the main menu" box for Programs.

Now, the main menu will look like version 2.x. Frequently accessed programs will appear in the main menu, and can be easily accessed (shown as the right figure).

I added the feature "Locate items in the main menu" to answer the following request:

It would be nice if there were an OPTION to place a few items on the main pull-down menu so that they would be there permanently.

In conclusion, main menu items are very configurable, however one should have an appropriate configuration goal when configuring main menu items.

Battery Monitor

Please try the new Battery Monitor feature in Ver 3.4. Now, you do not have to switch the screen to "Today" to check the status of main battery.

See online help of SmallMenu/SmallMenuPlus to learn more about the Battery Monitor.

Nominated in the "Utilities-Task Management" category for a Best Software Award 2003.	Nominated in the "Task Management" category for a Best Software Award 2005.	Nominated in the "Task Management" category for a Smartphone & Pocket PC Best Software Award 2006, and was selected as the Finalist.

Downloads (Approx. 300KB)

Caution: As I wrote in readme.txt which can be found in the zipped archive, please uninstall the previous version first, then install ver 3.20 or higher to your Pocket PC if your Pocket PC is Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC or older.

SmallMenu is compatible with Tillanosoft tGetFile.dll. Please do not forget to install tGetFile.dll for easier file and folder selection in SmallMenu Settings dialog box.

SmallMenu is freeware. While SmallMenuPlus is shareware. The license agreements are in a distributed file. Read the license conditions before using SmallMenu and SmallMenuPlus.

Purchase SmallMenuPlus

SmallMenuPlus shareware is $8.20 (note that SmallMenu without "Plus" is freeware). The price will change depending on added features. SmallMenuPlus purchasers have free update on minor updates (the updates of only "y" is changing in ver "x.y"). There may however be a fee for major updates offering an assortment of new features.

Please push one of the following banner buttons for purchasing SmallMenuPlus.

SmallMenuPlus for Pocket PC:
SmallMenuPlus for Pocket Manager:

Changes

3.21 2007.10.29 Automatic launch on soft-reset fixed.

• An error occured if "Launch SmallMenu on every soft reset" was turned on. This error was introduced in ver 3.20.

3.20 2007.6.18 Increase a compatibility with Phone Edition

• Phone program of Windows Mobile Phone will no longer be listed in SmallMenu task list.
• Settings of SmallMenu is now placed in the regular Pocket PC control panel settings window.
• SmallMenu item in SmallMenu menu is now configurable. You can now remove the item from the main menu of SmallMenu.

3.19 2006.1.30 Default installation path changed

• Default installation path has been changed.